Hold on: there is a midwestern "accent" that is generally considered "no accent at all", just "generic American", but there is most definitely a distinctive "Chicago accent" that is not that. Just Google [da bears snl]. It's its own whole thing. I have aunts that speak in it it, and you could instantly locate them from it.
Indeed, and I believe there are also Chicago slang words and terms that would be very city-centric - that would not be spoken in a majority of the midwest (I am guessing)
I believe I had heard the term 'the chicago accent' as a term for radio broadcast that may have come more from 'the chicago market' or mid section of the US.. not meaning specific urban/city speak but the market segment for that part of the country as opposed to the east coast market, etc.
Looking at the top 12 radio markets; New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Detroit, Miami
If you pick any of those and think of broadcasting the base accent of that city to the rest of the country.. I could see most annoying the other cities.. maybe Philly being a close 2nd.. and I don't think anyone can determine what a base accent for DC is.. that would depend on which neighborhood or however to median that.. (and I have no idea what the accent / tone / language is of Frisco in general, never been, and maybe it was different 20 years ago vs today)
